Meeting Venue
SSLW2023 will be held at Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, Arizona, USA. All the sessions will take place on the second floor of the Memorial Union (MU), located at the heart of the Tempe Campus (see Campus Map and MU Floor Plan).
ASU is situated in the Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun. The largest university in the 12th largest metropolis in the United States, ASU and its surrounding community offer a wide variety of amenities within walking distance, including hotels, restaurants, bars and shops.
Arrival Information
ASU Tempe Campus is within 4 miles of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) with direct flights from over 100 U.S. destinations.
Your hotel may provide a free shuttle service; please check with your hotel about details.
Alternatively, you can use Valley Metro Light Rail (East Bound) to get to ASU campus. From Terminals 3 and 4, take Sky Train to the Light Rail station (44th St. & Washington). From Terminal 2, take the airport shuttle to the Light Rail station. Get off at Mill & 3rd for Courtyard Tempe; Veterans Way & College for Residence Inn Tempe; either University & Rural or Apache & Dorsey for Moxy.)
For a door-to-door service, you can book a ride with SuperShuttle. Ride share services (Lyft and Uber) are also available. Waymo One (a driver-less ride-share service) is available from the 44th Street Sky Train station.
Local Information
Accommodations. Please see here.
Local Transportation. ASU and the City of Tempe offer various transportation options. You can walk to many hotels, restaurants and shops or use various forms of public transportation. Orbit is a free bus services around Tempe, and on weekdays, FLASH (Free Local Area Shuttle) is available around ASU Tempe Campus and the Mill Avenue District. In addition, Valley Metro provides bus and light rail services throughout the week. Many people also use ride share apps such as Lyft, Uber and Waymo One to get around.
Parking. Convenient parking options for visitors are available at Apache Boulevard Parking Structure (right behind MU), Rural Road Parking Structure, and ASU Fulton Center Garage.
Dining Options. Most hotels provide breakfast. Refreshments will be available in the exhibit area on all three days. Lunch will be served each day for SSLW 2023 participants. The Memorial Union offers various dining options, including Engrained Cafe, a cafeteria, coffee shops, and fast food restaurants as well as a convenient store.
Outside the MU, the College Avenue Marketplace, located just a few minutes North of the Memorial Union (next to the ASU Foundation Building), also features a number of casual restaurants. Halal food (dining and grocery) is available at Phoenicia Cafe.
For dinner, Downtown Tempe, a vibrant dining and shopping area within a few minutes from ASU Tempe Campus, provides a wide variety of restaurants, pubs, and shops. In addition, there are many great restaurants throughout the valley. Feel free to ask SSLW Assistants for recommendations. Tempe Marketplace, located about two miles from ASU Tempe Campus, also offers additional dining and shopping options.
The nearest Whole Foods Market is located on 750 S. Ash Avenue (just West of Mill Avenue).
Internet Access. Eduroam is available on ASU campus. ASU also provides free guest WiFi access (10 Mbps) to visitors. To access: 1. Chose “ASU Guest” as SSID; 2. When you see the log in screen, scroll down and click “Don’t have an account?”; 3. Provide your first name, last name, and email or phone number (with the country code) to create an account.
Smoking. ASU is a tobacco-free university (see the map of tobacco-free zone).
Convenience Stores and Pharmacies. A convenience store is located on the first floor of the Memorial Union. The ASU bookstore also offers some products for daily use. The closest pharmacy from the Memorial Union is CVS Pharmacy, located on Northwest (on Mill Ave and University Dr) and Southwest (Apache Blvd and Rural Rd) corners of Tempe Campus.
Printing and Copying Facility. PrintAnywhere service is available in the Memorial Union, Computer Commons, and Hayden Library; guests need to purchase a pre-paid card at the Sun Devil Bookstore. Photo-copy machines are located in the Hayden Library across from the Memorial Union.
ATMs. Several ATMs are available in the Memorial Union.
Questions. If you have any questions or need help with local information, you can ask SSLW Assistants wearing a Symposium button.
Area Information
The largest U.S. university in the Phoenix metropolitan area, ASU and the surrounding communities offer numerous amenities and tourist attractions.
You will find various exhibits around ASU campus. Take a break from intense intellectual conversations and enjoy a walking tour of public art and many fine art collections located throughout the campus.
Gammage. Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is one of the most well-known landmarks on campus. ASU is also known for its public arboretum spread through the entire Tempe Campus, featuring many species of local plants. Among the many noteworthy spots is Palm Walk, a walkway outlined by 90-foot palm trees.
Hiking. For hiking enthusiasts, “A” Mountain, just North of campus provides a trail for a nice short hike in the morning or before hitting the night scene in the Mill Avenue District. More serious hikers might enjoy visiting Papago Park and South Mountain Park, among other popular hiking trails.
Gyms. Some of the conference hotels provide fitness facility.
Museums. The Valley also boasts many museums, including the Heard Museum of Native American Culture and Art, Phoenix Art Museum and Arizona Museum of Natural History. The Phoenix Symphony also offers a variety of programs. Architechture buffs might enjoy visiting Taliesin West developed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Shopping. If you love shopping, this is just the place for you! Valley Metro Bus Route 27 will take you directly from the College Avenue Market Place to Scottsdale Fashion Square (North Bound) or Chandler Fashion Center (South Bound). Tempe Marketplace is also a few miles away. There are several large outlet malls in the area, including Phoenix Premium Outlets and Arizona Mills.
Karaoke. If you like singing, August Karaoke Box provides private karaoke rooms featuring English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean songs (BYOB).
Escape Rooms and Haunted Houses. If you are looking for a fun group activity, there are several escape rooms (a game in which participants solve puzzles to escape from a locked room within a time limit) around Tempe. If you wish to experience some seasonal activities, Boo! Check out some of the haunted houses and ghost tours. Happy Halloween!
Wild West. To enjoy the flavor of the Wild West, you can visit Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass. If you wish to try horseback riding, there are many riding stables in the vicinity.
Parks and Recreation. A major vacation destination, Arizona offers a wide variety of natural and historic attractions, including Grand Canyon National Park, Sedona, the Petrified Forest, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Navaho National Monuments, and Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. More information is available at Visit Arizona.
For Kids. For those with children, Tempe Town Lake is just a few blocks away, and Phoenix Zoo and Desert Botanical Garden are just across Rio Salado (Salt River). Small children might also enjoy Phoenix Children’s Museum, or train rides at Desert Breeze Park in Chandler and McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale.
Disclaimer: The information here is provided as a service to SSLW participants. SSLW is not sponsored by these organizations or companies, and the inclusion of their information here does not constitute an endorsement. Enjoy at your own risk!